Editorial Review

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Reviews (30)

Nostalgia for Gen Xers
Sometimes, covers of old songs and attempts to modernize old childhood favorites just fall flat. This isn't one of those times.
I prefer the original artists
I bought this by mistake thinking the songs were performed by the original artists. I think you can only hear the originals by getting the dvd. I was pretty bummed at first but my child loves this. My only complaint is that you can't understand all of the words so some of the educational value of the songs is lost.

I laughed I cried, I give it four stars
Making a cover album is difficult, you'll almost never please the purists who loved the original. Putting together a compilation CD with various artists adds the problems of uneveness in style and talent. Do do all this with School House Rock songs seems really hard. To review this CD is almost as hard. Most of us of "age" loved these songs when our musical tastes ran more toward Sesame Street (or insert your tastes here, the point is our tastes have evolved). The fact that so many people still like these songs is a testament to the originals.
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Subjects:  1. 90's    2. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Alternative Pop/Rock    4. American Trad Rock    5. Indie Rock    6. Lo-Fi    7. Novelty    8. Pop    9. Pop-Rap    10. Rock    11. Rock/Pop Collections    12. Singer/Songwriter    13. V/a Compilations   

Editorial Review

He is erratic, moody, adolescent, and unsettling, just as he is strikingly brilliant, and all depictions entwine on this collection that plucks from Daniel Johnston's most memorable work throughout a quarter-century of bare-bones recording. While his helium-pitched voice can often border on acquired taste territory, Johnston, who suffers from bipolar disorder, writes both gripping melodies and cutting, cunning lyrics--often about failed love, life's ambiguity and his passion for the Beatles and comic book heroes. Any Johnston follower might choose 21 different selections to represent such a catalog, but this package--culled mostly from his '80s songbook--is both symbolic and inclusive, including a pair of chord organ grinders that are among his most familiar: the childlike "Casper the Friendly Ghost" and the wistful "Speeding Motorcycle." Johnston's raw vulnerability shines most on "Never Before Never Again," on which he howls about a former girlfriend, and the fragmented and demented "Funeral Home," where he contemplates his last car ride (to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "Cadillac Ranch"). Read more

Reviews (2)

Perfect entry for the genius of Daniel
Almost every song from this compiliation is present as soundtrack to The Devil and Daniel Johnston. If you want to enter in thsi strange but beautiful world, a schizo Dylan that someday took LSD from the devilish [....] Surfers, this is the one to get. Then, if you become a fan (it happens, eheh), you should try his masterpiece - Songs of Pain 80-83.

Perfect Companion for "The Devil and Daniel Johnston"
It should first be noted that the music of Daniel Johnston is not for everyone -- you will either love him or hate him, most will feel the latter.His voice sounds like a 14 year old who got into the parents' liquor cabinet, but like Bob Dylan, it's the perfect vehicle for his material.I recommend the excellent documentary currently playing in art movie theaters to learn about this unique singer songwriter's incredible life --you couldn't make up a story as sadly surreal.His music is best appreciated if you understand his history and are familiar with his artwork (his pen and ink cartoon-like drawings go for thousands of dollars).His songs, like his artwork, are replete with symbols and references to his internal mythology, a conglomeration of cartoons, comic books and fire and brimstone religion.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Devendra Banhart's fourth album is his most pretty and accessible. It's lush, warm, and inviting. It's likely to make the uber-talented singer-songwriter new fans; unfortunately, it's just as likely to cost him a few old ones. The man is clearly a complex individual capable of visionary music that causes the listener to question many things, including whether or not the artist is putting him or her "on." As the moment-defining, awesome, and potentially self-parodic cover image implies, Mr. Banhart went to great lengths to enshroud himself with some of his most talented friends: Adam Forkner of White Rainbow, Andy Cabic of Vetiver, the free-folk band Feathers, and producer Thom Monahan among them.But this is no freak-fest; the album is subdued, and very much on an early ‘70s tip. Recorded at Bearsville near Woodstock, NY, there are touches of Gilberto Gil,! George Harrison, Donovan, T. Rex, Randy Newman and Bobby Charles.Read more

Reviews (21)

just amazing
devendra is just simply amazing. nothing more, nothing less.
Dont like this really? Get over yourself and old geriatric hippies. 25stars!
Another reviewer praised a song on this record for McCartneyesque-whatever. Its 2006, D.B is a star now, and Paul McCartney doesn't really have new output thats interesting for anyone outside of the VFW bluehaired crowd. Cripple Crow, believe me I know, is brilliant in every conceivable way, even in making reviewers who dont like it realize what sad pathetic lives they have sitting around listening to 70 year olds who had their glory in 1960 and retired and old 28Special vinyls or whoever that is.Cripple Crow isnt for the fans of has beens but rather fresh and really truly more genuinally psychedelic than any crap from some retired old guy sir mccartsaschmuck could ever make even in his prime, who was a beatle...and Banhart doesnt need Beetles or wings or some kinda concept hogwash "band".When the whole "band is the guys name...thats like when the band isn't the star but the guy whose name provides the name of said band...like really great this is like great.Believe me i know.Its nothing like paul whateverhisname is, or some worn out old crap, or the geriatric stones who everyone goes around saying "ooooo, the new one rocks!!!"Like yeah, rocks like mullet and bic lighter concert crowd "wow ma, kickass. can i get a mullet too like your loser alcoholic boyfriend?!!!"-rocks.No, this really rocks,and doesn't smell like "some old guy shoulda retired and invested money in a restaurant chain" mildew(i.e: not fresh) But rocks like ?"yeah im fresh and was born in the last decade or three." -rocks.
Devendra Banhart's Most Accessible Album Yet
I bought Banhart's first album when it came out and was a little turned off (honestly it's grown on me and I really like it now) but at the time it really turned me off. I found his two following albums easier to digest and very enjoyable but Cripple Crow is his strongest and most accessible album yet. The album is mellow and enjoyable and beyond that it is a sign of things to come. This album makes it clear that Devendra Banhart is the future of folk music and the future's so bright I gotta were shades (do you like that Timbuk 3 reference? You gotta say this review helped you just for that). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acid Folk    2. Alternative Folk    3. Lo-Fi    4. North America    5. Pop    6. Psychedelic    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

With their interstellar (really!) lyrics and angular song structures, Modest Mouse tend to defy their self-deprecating band name. In truth, the trio's got some lofty ambitions, and The Moon and Antarctica indulges their grand dreams with pristine production and a vivid sonic backdrop. It also dives deeply into their geographical obsessions--always with the same subjective twists that made Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (61)

Excellent Album
Modest Mouse made the transition to major label artist very well with this record.An expertly crafted collection of music, with pristine production quality (a first for the band) and a handful of excellent songs.In my opinion, the album is front-loaded, with the best songs being sequenced at the first half.Towards the middle of the album the songs begin to meander a bit, but don't weigh the other songs down much as they are able to maintain the overall atmosphere and mood of the album very well.The last few songs on the album are great, and make up for the forementioned spacy, mildly uninteresting songs of the album's midsection.
This is why...
...I consider Modest Mouse to be one of my favorite bands. While I enjoy their previous work and their latest release 'Good News For People Who Love Bad News', none of those albums can touch 'Moon'.
Tripping with Modest Mouse
These three guys are obsessed with space and distances, guess that's what the North West does to you. It is spacy, meandering, but also vibrant. If they were aboriginals, they would sing their surroundings while driving through America.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Emo    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Noise Pop    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. United States of America   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (24)

Iron & Wine and generic backing band
You won't find any calexico here. Sam Beam is in charge from stop to finish with calexico hardly ever creeping through beside the more standardised use of some of their instruments. If anything, calexico's influence is obvious only in the form of appearing to slightly take away from Sam Beam's expressive powers. Having said that it's hard to understand the motivation behind this project, that is until you listen to calexico's following album "garden ruin", which obviously modeled after Sam Beam's style is lacking his essence, making this album not a collaboration of two bands with a healthy appreciation for each other, but a highschooly attempt to get close to one's idol and become alike, with calexico playing the infatuated geeky girl that has to learn to appreciate her self.
Beloveds Gestalt
It is just special when two of your beloveds come together. I can't explain it but I really loved these folks powerfully and in parallel for a long time, having no idea of a connection. And so a crossover like this is just so well-met 'round here. I love crossovers!
Beautiful - A Perfect Blend
This album is absolutely beautiful. The full musical sound and talent of Calexico together with the soothing warm vocals of Iron & Wine make the perfect match.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. United States of America   

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (104)

Fantastic Record
This album will grow on you faster then moss in a swamp.Lyrics that when you hear them - your just happy she's not singing about you - yet are sexy enough that you also wish she was singing about you.Also, in the songs you really can see Liz's inner thoughts and insecurities.It was said when she went to support this record her stage fright was enormous - you can also see that nervousness in her songs.Do yourself a favor and put up the 14 or 15 bones and be entertained by the sexy girl next door Liz.

i love this album so much.
I am not a fan of liz phair's more recent albums, but i do love the more polished whip-smart and whitechocolatespaceegg. Still, this album is one of my favorites of all time. like so many of the most beloved albums, it's points considered to be its weakest are also it's strongest. this album is probably a love it or hate it album for most people. if you can love an album for being stripped down such as this, no bells and whistles, behind a raw and (not by any means powerhouse) voice, because of the raw, incredible (hidden behind apathy) emotion it can express, then buy exile in guyville. i am not a music snob, i don't think people who love glossy well-produced music are wrong. i love music to sound good! however, i'm not sure gloss would work with the fantastic honesty of this record, although it is insome occasions (ex., hole's celebrity skin) but if you are into music for a deeply moving experience and are aware of what you are buying, you won't regret buying it.
"I jump when you circle the cherry..."
Exile in Guyville is raw, honest, and brilliant. Liz Phair's first and most personal album to date.Standout tracks include: F#ck and Run, Divorce Song, Flower, and Glory.Her lyrics are incredible, "And the license said you had to stick around until i was dead but if you're tired of looking at my face guess i already am." Awesome title, intelligent songs, and superior songwriting, Exile in Guyville will "shatter" your senses.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative/Indie-Rock    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

The band's name comes from an obscure Russian story and the album title comes from a song by fallen '60s folk hero Tim Hardin, but the haunting music here is purely the Austin collective's own. Like tour partners the Decemberists and soul mate Alasdair Roberts, Okkervil River deals primarily in dark string instruments and even darker poetry. "Some nights I thirst for real blood/ For real knives/ For real cries," singer Will Sheff sings on opening track, "For Real," signaling that his appetite for southern gothic muder ballads remains as strong as ever on the group's fourth album. The sinister "So Come Back, I Am Waiting" and "Black" confirm this suspicion. Less country, more Arcade Fire--whatever that means--Read more

Reviews (26)

Brilliant.
Out of Austin comes the little-known band Okkervil River, playing some of the most imaginative, beautiful, and heartfelt songs I've ever heard. Okkervil River goes a bit rock and pop with songs like "Black" and "All the Latest Toughs"; they absolutely blister with the raw and wonderfully coarse "For Real"; quiet down with the delicate and sublime "A Stone". But the crowning glory on this album is "So Come Back, I Am Waiting": a desperate, clawing, nearly nine-minute epic crescendo, filled with wild emotion, great alliteration, and wonderfully descriptive imagery. The entire album is loosely woven around the theme of the black sheep boy-- but it's not a story, more of a feeling, with repeating elements and imagery that flicker in and out.Between the varied instruments, Will Sheff's emotive voice and his wonderful use of language, this is my favorite album, period.

A finely sharpened dart
Take Andrew Bird, mix in a bit of Modest Mouse and sprinkle a little of Calexico's horn section in between, and enjoy the resulting "Black Sheep Boy".This is a really powerful album, because of many variables.The one that did it for me though, was the raw emotion of the singer, Will Sheff.This emotion is coupled to smart lyrics that reveal a raw maturity. Raw is a good word to describe "Black Sheep Boy", because in my opinion it describes perfectly the awkwardness, the pain and fury from growing up.Not just growing up, but growing from those really hurtful yet subtle cuts...parting ways with a loved one, a friend, and coming to terms with one's family.They're the stories of the black sheep among us losing their innocence, but learning to live.And this band does an excellent job of playing the rage, tenderness, and exhaustion.
Highly rated... guess I have to listen more
This album was highly recommended on many sites so I decided to give it a try. True, it's a good album and worth buying.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Can prolific, heartfelt singer-songwriter Sam Beam do any wrong? The title track to this six song EP continues much in the same vein as 2004’s exceptionalRead more

Features

Reviews (30)

Like a Steady Breeze
Sam Beam has a great EP here.His contemporary folk music is original and intense despite the soft guitars and rhythms.Backing female vocals make the songs that much more haunting.Both relaxing and challenging at the same time, Woman King is a distinctive and important piece of work well worth multiple listens.

Worth It
My favorites on this album are "Woman King" and "My Lady's House."The guitar work is very pretty and his vocals are incredible.Definitely worth a listen.

Sweet Sweet Sounds
Iron and Wine here have made a leap from one guy recording into a cheap 4-track into a multi-layered studio album in 2 LPs, an EP and a collaboration with Calexico. While I love the lo-fi fuzziness of Creek Drank the Cradle, Woman King adds layers to Sam Beam's signature sound without compromising it. Additional instrumentation highlight rather than hide the strengths of the earlier releases. He has improved with each release, someday he will rule a small planet with his homespun music. Let me just state for the record I liked you before your reign, Master.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

The opening track, "Teeth Like God's Shoeshine," explodes out of your speakers with sharp, see-sawing guitars and shouted vocals, an irresistible melange of angular rhythms and mighty, powerful dynamics. The rest of the songs are similarly pulled along by some unseen force, driven by an energy found in classic post-punk bands like Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 or Drunken Boat. Some reviewers have referenced the Pixies, and while that's not off the mark, this is more like the Pixies undergoing dental work--without anesthesia.Read more

Reviews (131)

Want to kill the radio?
Start here. If Float On was your only exposure to Modest Mouse, you don't know what you're missing. Discord never sounded so wonderfully cool. This is a sonic boom to your eardrums as well as your brain. "My brains the burger/My hearts the charcoal."

Yes it is an acquired taste, and it isn't for everyone..
..But I love it! It has its weak moments.... Some of the songs can drag on for a long time, and sometimes Isaac's voice isn't up to scratch, but an album doesn't have to perfect to be enjoyed; if you want perfect, I would recommend Red Hot Chili Peppers or something, cause their production is more or less perfect. I, on the other hand, enjoy this album because it ISN'T perfect, because it has it's flaws! One thing I should say about this album is that the tracks skip between such a wide variety of music; it isn't obvious genres but MM seem to be able to gather many different styles together to create sometimes truly original sounds.
Pure Genius
Longesome Crowded West just somehow works. Everyone should have a listen! Polar Opposites is my favorite song of all time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Emo    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Noise Pop    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. United States of America   

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (14)

Just Getting Better
I absolutely adored this CD, mostly because the music is so different and the band seems to have such a creative force in music-making. If I was forced to pick a genre for this release I would say 60s psychedilic influenced new-new wave. Standouts include "Publish My Love" and "California" but any song would honestly give you chills.
Amazing!
This album is absolutely amazing! I got turned onto Rogue Wave by hearing them on XM radio, and I was instantly hooked. They are totally underplayed. Every song on this album is amazing!

Rogue Wave-descended like vultures
Rogue Wave is another addition to the sub-pop records family, with bands like the shins, the constantines, the elected, Damien Jurado, and Postal Service, this seattle based record company has the leading edge of indie bands. Zach Rogue writes almost everything for the cd and it really shows the true sound he wanted to get from this album. "Bird on a wire" has the sound of many Elliot Smith songs, "Publish my love" is a soft resonant song that leaves you still wanting to be convinced as to what he can do while "Love's Lost Gaurantee" and "10:1" broaden the sound to create the two ranges that his music could create to be the two best songs on the album. The next song "California"
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Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. United States of America   

Reviews (17)

devendra is great and has a wonderful voice........
and is also UNDENIABLY influenced by t rex (listen to t rex's first album.

THE KING OF FREAK HAS ARRIVED
This new genre of freak folk is great. Though, ALL folk is great. The guitar is amazing. He is the best. If you like folk you will LOVE this. The minute i listened to it I was stunned. GREAT ALBUM. Also get Nick Drake if you like the guitar for this.

great sale~
CD arrived very fast & exactly as described!wonderful sale, thanks a lot~ ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Lo-Fi    2. North America    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

There has always been something about John Darnielle’s lyrics; even when you’re not exactly sure what he’s talking about, it always feels like he’s telling it like it is. Not that metaphor is a major player on Read more

Reviews (26)

The Best TMG CD
Powerful is all I can say. Get this cd and you will become an instant fan. Thanks 4AD! I wouldn't have come across this band if you didn't sign them up. Oh yeah, they are also great live (I saw them during their Tallahassee tour).

The Sunset Tree
This is probably the most uplifting album in my cd collection, and definitely containing the most beautifully written lyrics. The lyrics are what hold the album together but in my opinion are also well complimented by the accompaning instruments, particularly in Love Love Love, probably my favourite from this album. This album does take quite a long time to get into - particularly if put on to relax to - as background noise.
I weep at the mere thought of this album.
In early 2005, I was looking for good Lo-Fi music, and someone reccomended The Mountain Goats. I then downloaded the b-side collection, Ghana, and gave it a listen. It was fun, sure, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Back in the early 1980s, when the punk-rock DIY spirit was going strong, emerging artists found a cheap and efficient way of distributing their music--the homemade cassette. Sometimes very crude and low-fi, the tapes became a hallmark of instant "indie cred." The erratic, troubled, and startlingly talented Daniel Johnston was one of the first musicians to really make a name for himself in this medium, and his first two tapes, 1980's Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (7)

Unbelievably great
Daniel Johnston is one of the world's undiscovered treasures.If things were perfect, his songs would be as widely covered, his life would be as intensely studied, and his work would be as revered and celebrated as the songs and albums of Bob Dylan.
Songs of pain
The guy's life story is definately interesting, and so is his music. Johnston has an ear for great melodies, and though his lyrics are somewhat simplistic, they are quite unique.
Why would anyone Remaster this stuff?
I own the originally released recordings, and I must be honest, I do not own the new "remastered" version... but for me, part of the charm of Daniel Johnston has been the crude lo-fi quality of his emotional song gems. I have found myself disliking his later recordings with professional musicians, because it tends to cast him as a "freak" heading a "real band."
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Lo-Fi    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Jolie Holland's first album recorded in an actual studio is a sumptuous affair that extends her indie country and folk sound further into the realms of old-school jazz and country blues. But this is no quaint revivalism; ye olde sounds are made modern by smart lyrics that reference feminist writer/adventurer Isabelle Eberhardt on the whimsical "Old Fashion Morphine," or that speak of "a couple of food stamps and a caffeine buzz" on "Poor Girl." The arrangements are subtle and sophisticated, showing more breadth than those on her debut, Read more

Reviews (32)

A voice from another time / place / world?
I can't stop listening to that voice of hers - it is like a cross between Victoria Williams, Billie Holiday, and Ben Webster.It is more like a saxophone than a voice, a saxophone coming from someSunday afternoon show at a smoky little club down the street, that makes you say, "Hey, who is that?"You can't miss the soulfulness of her sound.
Maybe she's a poor girl but it doesn't bother me at all
I love this album but I can see from some reviews that some people hate her. I'm not sure what is pretentious about her delivery. I think Jolie is amazing. I've never heard anyone like her. She sings like a trumpet player from some dark holler. She blurs time in a way that would make the old pre-war blues masters proud. I love her timing. Does she have a unique vocal style? Yes she does but then again so did Tommy Johnson and Skip James but I don't hear anyone calling those guys frauds. Thank goodness.
not quite on target
ok. i thought from other reviews that i would really like this cd, but I dont really. the delivery seems completely pretentious as another reviewer said. i cant get past that fact. though damn shame is excellent. its the only one that i added to my playlist. in fact i promptly trashed the rest. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Country    2. Contemporary Folk    3. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    4. Country-Folk    5. Folk-Blues    6. Folk-Jazz    7. Lo-Fi    8. Minstrel    9. Neo-Traditional Folk    10. Pop    11. Rock    12. Rock/Pop    13. Songster   

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock    3. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Eponymous albums are usually either debuts or the work of musicians trying to introduce themselves to a new audience. Count Read more

Features

• Enhanced
• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (447)

The downfall of indies' best....
I don't want to compare this album to all of Liz's other albums but it's hard not to. Yes artists would like you to take their work for what it is at the moment and I have done that. I must say some of the songs on the record, I can almost see the Liz of old, lyrics-wise. She has some wit on this album and towards the end of the album there are some more listenable songs.
Excellent Album! Glad Liz chose a New Groove!
The "purists" will hate it, but Liz Phair said she wanted more than just a barely profitable CD. So, she and Lauren Christy and co. put together this. Christy is more indie than most. Gee, if HWC and erotic songs isn't enough, make your own Liz Phair album. The CD is rock solid with her sensual voice, guitar rips, and seducing lyrics. It was Extraordinary!
Complex music, great with headphones
each song -unique,lyrics -what about the underwear song?How original is that!A couple of hits, too.Tis THE best Liz album. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Pop/Rock    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Reviews (2)

Knee deep snow
Folk-popster Leslie Feist garnered a lot more attention with her second solo album, "Let it Die." Now she follows it up with "Open Season," which is basically a lot of odds and ends -- remixes, B-sides, and alternate versions. Sure, not everything is absolutely perfect, but it's a good little album of bits and pieces.
Beautiful
"The evening was long